2JZ-GTE swap into 240SZX
We encountered this 240ZX at the Cobb Tuning First Thursday event in Austin, Texas on May 3, 2012. 240SXs are fairly common at these types of shows common, even more so with the JDM nose and headlights transplanted.
But this one was worth a second look – it has a 2JZ-GTE engine from a Supra TT swapped inside!
Interesting fit – the extra length of the engine due to the extra two cylinders isn’t a problem. We have seen swaps of the Nissan RB26DETT engine, from the GT-R, but never a Toyota engine. Why Toyota? Why not – the point of a swap is overcoming the complicating factors, not the ease of the swap. Integrating the Toyota electronics into the Nissan wiring is a challenge that any true swap enthusiast would want to take on.
And note the Supra wheels, front and rear. Nice touch.
There are also Brembos up front, although the rears and stock.
As much wheel and tire as possible was crammed into the back… although the Supra wheel isn’t exactly the right offset. The rear suspension appears to be vintage Nissan, converted to 5-bolt.
The back of the engine gets a little tight, but certainly that was taken into account when the front crossmember and engine mounts were fabbed. And a strut tower brace helps with structural integrity…. certainly a problem in an older and well-=used car with a high-horsepower transplant.
The front received a JDM Silvia clip as well… a very popular transplant on these cars.
This was clearly a project in progress… some details were rough. But it runs well, and it will certainly make for a unique car when it is done. It may be the only one of its type in the world…?
The Perfect Supra TT at Cobb Tuning First Thursday
We’ve always been a fan of the Supra TT and always keep our eyes open for clean ones. And we’ve driven them at full speed at Texas World Speedway, once attaining almost 170 MPH on the main straight. We love them, Toyota did a fabulous job engineering them, and with the most minor preparation they make a great track car. And as many of our readers know, they are nearly indestructible.
At the Cobb Tuning First Thursday event in Austin, Texas on May 3, 2012, we ran into what we consider to be the perfect Supra TT. Perfect because it was immaculately clean, perfect because we lust after it, and perfect because it was exactly how we would have done it. If we had been smart enough to get one originally.
Single turbo, sheet metal intake, 6-speed manual. 1200 horsepower. Well integrated rollcage. Intelligently built, and in immaculate condition. And we understand that the owner also has an older model Nissan GT-R. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Do you want to get picky? We’d do three more things. First, we’d replace the hood with a vented hood and make sure it is more secure. We know that the stock hood starts to flutter over 170 and up. Second, we’d put a barrier around the air cleaner, since we don’t need it sucking in hot air from the engine compartment. And third, we’d probably replace the stock Supra brakes (4/2 piston fr/rr) with 6/4 piston fr/rr Brembos. For track use, and with 1200 HP, this car needs all the braking ability it can get.
And that’s it.
Whatever happened to the 2JZ-GTE S2000?
The original video we first showed on this site a few years ago has been removed… apparently the folks in Florida and their website are gone.
But thanks to YouTube, we can still enjoy the video:
Our concerns remain: the transmission has to be a Supra TT tranny or nothing, and the rear end has to be replaced. And that’s in addition to some serious cooling work. Anything else will never work for more than a few – very fun – weeks.
950 HP 2JZ-GTE S2000
With 950 HP at the wheels from the over-boosted Supra TT motor, the old saying “there is never enough HP” may finally be proven untrue.
Revisiting the 2JZ-GTE into S2000 swap
As a followup to my previous posts, I was recently thinking again about this swap.
To refresh your memory, this is a swap of a Lexus 2JZ engine, with Supra turbo aftermarket parts added, into an S2000. Since Twin Turbo Supra engines are expensive and nearly impossible to obtain these days, the naturally aspirated version of that engine used in various late Lexus products makes for an easier starting point. Ultimately, it won’t be as durable, but then that probably doesn’t matter to the mindset of this crowd.
The swap is neat, fits under the hood, and seems at first glance to be a natural. The basic swap offered uses the standard S2000 transmission and differential. Price is about $16,000. A Getrag manual transmission, as used in the Supra, costs extra. A rear differential has been discussed (from the Silvia, convenient to fit but in my mind of questionable durability) but not yet produced (as far as we know). I consider both the transmission and differential a requirement. Notice that so far nobody has discussed anything about cooling (something the stock Supra was very good at doing) or inspection/emissions.
First a video showing some of the components, under the hood and in the driveline.
Then 2 on the dyno and in driving.
Apparently at this point they have the Getrag Supra transmission in place, but not yet a stronger differential. That kills it in my mind because the stock diff is notoriously weak… now increase torque by a factor of (at least) 3x. Forget about it. But, it will be fun in the short time it lasts…
Now lets get real. This car will never pass an inspection, much less an emissions check. The Lexus 2JZ engine barely made it into OBD-II compliance in this country (HP and torque were very weak) and was then summarily cancelled when Toyota finally produced a modern V-6 engine. And then there was the ultimate version of that engine, in the Supra. It’s been said that the Supra TT engine was a detuned 500-HP engine for the street, and it’s probably true. It’s extremely easy to modify this engine to make more power. Lots and lots of it – 500 HP Supras are very common, and 700-900 is not uncommon. But while we all loved the Supra and it’s engine, we all remember that any mods whatsoever to that engine immediately killed off any possibility of passable emissions.
So the 2JZ/S2000 could never be used on the street.. or at least it could be used on the street until it’s yearly inspection and emissions check. Then it becomes a track-only vehicle. Imagine being limited to your driveway for tuning the driveline and suspension. Then you finally get to a track event, only to find a minor issue (like the nose popping off!) that ruins the entire weekend. Sure, all of us have done this and been there, but it’s not very rewarding in the long term. As as for illegally-obtained inspection stickers – that’s just plain stupid.
Never mind the superb weight balance of the car is ruined by this iron-block engine. Nevermind that the S2000 can’t carry enough tire for a stock 320-horse Supra TT engine, much less 500 or 900 horsepower. Nevermind the stock brakes were never designed for this kind of stopping power, and that the solid discs in the back are inadaquate even in the stock S2000. Not to mention that the suspension components, which were designed to be as light as possible for the stock engine and overall parameters, would be worse than “spindly” for this application. Probably dangerously so.
Now before I get accused of being a party pooper, let me say that I’d love to build one of these and feel the rush of boosted acceleration. But there is a major difference in the realities of wanting and having. This wild animal is one we’d sure like like to “date”, but marriage is impossible.
My recommendation: find a Supra TT. Leave it near-stock. Love and cherish it because we will never see another car like that again.
S2000s with 2JZ-GTE engine swap – followup
Followup to my prior post about the Honda S2000 with the Supra Turbo 2JZ-GTE engine.
Fifty-Fifty Racing has now built two S2000s with the Supra TT engine. This may be the hottest S2000 swap ever…. although we have major questions about the durability of the stock differential.
Check YouTube for even more videos of this beast: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2jz+s2000&search=Search
Supra TT 2JZ-GTE motor – swap into S2000!
Taking a Lexus inline 6 and adding a turbo is a very common occurrence these days. There are number of IS300s, GS300s, and n/a Supras running around like this.
But swapping such an engine into an S2000 has never been done before: Fifty-Fifty Racing delivers just such a conversion!
The end result is clean and looks almost like a factory fit. Of course, the handling balance is permanently ruined by the weight of the iron block 2JZ. And while the stock tranny couldn’t have been used, the stock diff would also need replacement. I’d also question the strength of the suspension pieces.
Supra TT turbo diagrams
In light of the new twin turbo 335i from BMW, here’s a look at the Supra TT – a *very* different turbocharger system.
Compare and contrast this to the much cheaper-to-produce – and much lower power – BMW twin-turbo. The BMW engine is of course modern and up-to-date, while the Supra engine would be dated in this day and age (it’s a very early 90s creation). If it were brought up to modern standards (and didn’t have to face the Japanese HP limit), it would probably make 450 horses. It was certainly built for it, and as my readers know there are any number of 500-600 HP examples running around – with many approaching 1000 HP. When Toyota says this engine was developed to 500 HP, then detuned down to 320, it’s the truth.
The BMW engine, by comparison, doesn’t have the internals to handle that, much less the flow. In fact, the internals were the main reason for the delay of the engine into production.
Here are three diagrams from the Supra shop manual. A very complicated engine, very expensive to produce (probably more than the BMW engine), but with enormous potential.
